Unusual Alliances
by olivia stevens
Summary: When the London Eye is sabotaged by unknown forces, it leaves a befuddled Holly Short wondering at the connection between Harry Potter and Artemis Fowl. But she must act quickly if she wishes to save them and herself from the evil designs of a new enemy.
1. Vacation in London

**A/N: Artemis Fowl/Harry Potter crossover, takes place after the 3rd book of AF and the 5th book of HP. Enjoy muchly.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis or Harry, end of story.**

**Unusual Alliances**

**Chapter 1: Vacation in London**

Artemis Fowl strolled down the streets of London, accompanied by his family, and looking quite out of sorts.

"Look, Arty!" cried his mother, grabbing his shoulder and pointing. "It's the Eye!"

Artemis let his eyes take in the contraption before him, and pretended to be excited. Maybe it was exciting to regular people, but to him it was only a piece of very simple engineering - just on a very grand scale. Nothing special, really.

"I was thinking we could take a ride," continued his mother. "The view of London from that height must be truly majestic!"

"Of course, my dear," agreed Artemis father, planting a swift kiss on her cheek.

_Why do they have to be so soppy all the time?_ Artemis wondered sourly. When his parents had first suggested a family vacation in London, he had thought he was going to die. As it was, it was turning out to be one of the worst experiences in his life - besides that boarding school a couple years back. But honestly… he really had better things to do than escorting his parents around London.

They bought their tickets and stood in line. A very long line. Artemis tried to use the time to think up new ways to escape from his parents - just for a day - but kept being interrupted by his mother's high-pitched squeals of 'just how beautiful it looked, she had never imagined' and 'oh isn't this a wonderful vacation, Artemis?"

At last they boarded. Their compartment wasn't quite large enough for the many people in it - but perhaps that was not the number of the people inside, but the size of them. There were two very large males across from Artemis, taking up about half the space. One looked about Artemis' age, blond and very stupid-looking. His enormous T-shirt could not quite hide the bulging muscles underneath, and Artemis surmised that he was the kind that relied on brawn instead of brains to get him through life.

"Dad," he whined to the portly man next to him with a rather large mustache, and a rather short neck. "I don't like it here. I wanna leave."

"Now Duddykins," said the bony, blond woman on his other side, obviously his mother. "We can't leave now, we're already off the ground!"

"Teenagers," sighed Artemis' father long-sufferingly. "Always so stubborn, so hard to please. I have one myself - Arty!"

Artemis' normally sallow complexion turned crimson with embarrassment. Did his parents really have to call him by his hated pet name in front of complete strangers?

"Artemis, come meet the nice people."

Artemis thought these people were hardly nice, but said hello, and shook each of their hands anyway. After all, he always carried some hand sanitizer in his pocket - he could clean away the germs later.

"And this is our nephew Harry. He's rather odd y'see… Goes to St. Brutus Asylum for Incurably Crimminal Boys, for all the good it does him. The rest of the time, we keep him close… haha…"

Artemis didn't even take a moment to wonder what sort of parents would say such a thing about their own family. He had stopped listening long ago, and was now engrossed in the boy in front of him. It was something about his stance… he sensed - could almost feel - the aura of something that he had been searching for, and not expected to find - especially here.

_Magic…_


	2. The Eye

**A/N: Much thanks to my reviewer, DemonofShadow. You really made my day!**

**Also - maybe I was a little ambiguous on this, but Artemis still doesn't have his memory back… not yet. I was continuing from the end of the last book - where it hints that Artemis will be looking for magic again. Except, of course, this time, he stumbles onto something completely different…**

**Chapter 2: The Eye**

Captain Holly Short was a very accomplished faerie, both a decorated officer of the LEPrecon unit and the official expert on Artemis Fowl. Unfortunately for her, she still had a very large chunk of her life ahead of her - and very little left to do. Elves have always been the most emotional of all the faeries and the most susceptible to depression, and Holly was no exception. She had done everything the government shrink (a spindly pixie with glasses far too large for him, and an annoying habit of saying "Hm-mm") had ordered, but nothing seemed to work. Even the month-long holiday at the mud baths had only deepened her growing sense of worthlessness. So she had gone back to duty, filling her time with trivial jobs and menial work, hoping to at least divert her energy, even if she couldn't seem to stop moping. But more and more she found herself volunteering for the aboveground expeditions, especially the periodic inspections on Fowl. Maybe she was just being nostalgic, but the weekly check-ups reminded her of the old times.

"Huzzah for good old days," she muttered sardonically. Ever since giving Fowl the mind-wipe treatment, things had become dull - no more exciting, life-threatening adventures with a stuck-up thirteen year old genius. She almost wondered if it was worth being court-marshaled, just to say hello to him again, see if it brought back any old memories…

"Short, we have an incident."

Holly started, and thanked her lucky charms she didn't go into a tailspin - she could almost swear that Root could read minds. How else could he have known to pick this exact moment to contact her?

"Someone's tipped us off on a case of counterfeit magic, and I need you to investigate. I'm sending the coordinates to your helmet's computer."

_Great. A pointless job custom-tailored to waste my time. Why not?_

"Yes sir," she said aloud, unenthusiastically, and cut off the conversation by revving up the engine on her especially noisy, standard-issue, pair of wings, and, with a cloud of smoke, she was gliding over the English Channel. _If it bothers him - well… he can get over it…_ she thought.

As London approached, she checked her coordinates again, just to be sure she was heading in the right direction.

_What is a dangerous magic counterfeiter doing at the Eye?_ she wondered.

* * *

"Artemis Fowl Senior, and my wife Angeline. You've already met my son." 

Artemis Fowl continued to eye Harry, and abrubtly wished that Butler was here with him. Somehow, the old bodyguard's presence eased his mind. But, since the heart attack, his parents had insisted that he stay at the manor and rest. _"After all,_" his father had said, _"who would want to kill **us**?"_ He had a point, Artemis grudgingly admitted to himself. He couldn't imagine anyone who might possibly want to kill him. Still, the feeling of paranoia remained…

Suddenly he realized that everyone in the pod was staring at him expectantly.

"Ah… hello…"

* * *

"Holly? Is that you?" Foaly's voice rasped over the helmet's earpiece. 

"If you had your radar on me, you would know," Holly snapped back.

"Whoa - hold your horses - do I hear insubordination?"

"Checked your ears lately?"

"Not in twenty years. Root's not too happy, you know. Lucky for you, he was called off - the Goblin's are rioting - again."

A pause, and then…

Are you at the -- have you found them yet?" Foaly asked.

"Give me a description. Please."

"Nice to know you still have manners." Before Holly could whip up a snappy reply to that one, he continued, "Adolescent male, lanky, messy black hair, glasses."

"Anything else?"

"That's all I've got."

Muttering something about the general uselessness of centaurs, Holly flew from pod to pod, peering inside to identify the occupants.

"You found them yet?" Foaly's voice.

"No, not -- _D'arvit…_"

"I'm assuming that means he's there."

"Oh… yeah, but guess who else…"

"Don't tell me… it's Fowl, isn't it…"

* * *

"How much longer?" it demanded softly. "They're almost to the top." 

"Not much…" muttered the man, sweating. He wished fervently that he had never gotten involved in this mess, that he had just stayed home today, watched some football on the telly, let his wife yell at him… But he knew it was too late for that now. Somehow he sensed that even if he hadn't shown up, these people would have hunted him down. They would find him, no matter where he went…

"Countdown," he whispered, fighting off a shudder of having his back to such a visibly evil creature. "10… 9… 8…."

"Soon, my master… soon…" it crooned depravedly.

"6… 5… 4…" the man continued bravely… "3… 2… 1… GO!" He pressed the lighted button marked 'Detonate'.

* * *

Several things happened all at once. A loud bang sounded as the the dynamite concealed along the bottom of the capsule discharged. The glass floor shattered, and the Fowls, the Dursleys, and Harry, fell through, gravity guiding them towards the brown, polluted expanse of the Thames River below.

At that same moment, a motorboat charged from its hiding place behind a wharf, heading towards the area where the former occupants of the pod had splashed down.

* * *

"D'arvit!" swore the centaur. "And… I'll bet my hat… it has something do with Fowl…" 

**Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to review!**


	3. The Submarine

**Sorry this chapter took so long ot get out - this story's getting really intense - and I have to make sure everything fits. Not to mention the added complication of about 10 different POV's.**

**A big thanks to my reviewers!**

**Amanda - Your review was one of the most confusing things I'd ever read, too. It took me a while to understand it. Maybe I shouldn't check my stats so late at night? About the general chaos, never fear, all will be explained in due time… :)**

**Maybeso - happy now? Lol…**

**The Fiddler - Who/What is ebil? To your questions: I actually am planning on a possible romance, but if I decide to add it, it will be very secondary to the plot itself. And yes, I am going to try to keep the chars as IC as I possibly can.**

**Neutralgal - er… checks Ah. You're right. I'll remember that. Thanks!**

**Demon - Um. No. Keep reading. I'm warning you, the plot I have as of now is very intricate - and it's just getting more complicated… rubs hands together Enjoy!**

**Chapter 3: The Submarine**

xXx

Strong arms gripped Artemis and pulled him out of the water, into the motorboat.

"That was ridiculous!" he spluttered wetly to his rescuers. "You ought to take more care to make sure those things are not loaded before you send people up in them. I could have been killed!"  
The rescuers just ignored him, exchanging sly grins.

"Aren't you going to get everyone out of the water?" demanded Artemis.  
One of the crewmen turned around to look at him. "But that's where you've got it wrong, sonny," he said, grinning toothily. "All we need is you and him." He pointed to Harry's prone figure on the floor.

Before he could respond, Artemis was grabbed from behind his back, and a gag was stuffed into his mouth. Another man tied his arms and legs.

"Don't get too worried, sonny," leered the thug. "It won't hurt. Not too much..."

_Who would want to kill us, indeed,_ thought Artemis bitterly.

"Can I go home yet?" the man asked. Hopefully he wouldn't be too late to miss 'Home Invaders'

"But, you see, there's a problem there," it said, sounding oddly elated. "If I let you go, you might accidently tell someone what you just witnessed. So, you see…"

It pulled out the Softnose Laser from its belt, and fired, and, with a groan, the man slumped over, dead.

The motorboat zoomed down the Thames, easily breaking all the anti-speed laws in the book. It passed the port of London at full speed much to the dismay of several sailors trying to dock their boat. It wasn't until they had reached the open sea that the boat spluttered to a stop.

"What are you doing with us?" demanded Artemis, at last seeming to have regained his faculties.

"You'll find out soon enough, sonny," promised the the thug, baring his rotten teeth in a nasty grin.  
The captain pressed a flashing red button and suddenly something very odd began to happen. Walls of glass began to climb up the boat, creating a capsule of the inside. As soon as the boat was completely airtight, the rushing sound of oxygen canisters releasing their loads reached Artemis' ears.

_Ingenius work,_ thought Artemis, impressed in spite of himself. The technology required to create such a contraption was extensive. Obviously, whoever had kidnapped him was no amateur.  
The captain pushed another button, and the boat dove underwater…

Holly followed the motorboat, wings spluttering along at full throttle.

xXx

"Looks like they're heading for open sea," she commented into her earpiece. "but unless they're planning to go to - _D'arvit!_ They've got a submarine…"

"The motorboat, a submarine? I didn't know Mudmen had that kind of technology."

"I don't know, Foaly - but I'm going down - I need to get on that boat."

"Holly, you are _Recon_, you can't…" A pause, and then, "Ah. Julius…"

"What on _earth_ is -"

"Artemis Fowl and a suspect for counterfeit magic have both been kidnapped by the same party, and we suspect that it might be something more than just another Mudman spat…"

"Foaly, that's speculative!" Root snapped.

"Maybe so, but the whole thing's pretty weird…"

"Short! Whatever crazy stunt you're trying to pull off now, I demand that you stop immediately!"

There was the sound of scraping, and then a muttered curse from the other side of the connection. "Too late anyway… They've sealed themselves in. If only-" Suddenly the was the sound of static, then complete silence.

"SHORT - D'arvit! She's taken off her helmet…" He glared at Foaly as if it were all somehow his fault.

"It's all right, Julius, it's only temporary. In a second -"

"Sorry about that, Commander," Holly apologized, not sounding too apologetic. "I had to get at my locator device somehow…"

"_HELMETS ARE NOT TO BE REMOVED WHILE ON DUTY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?_"

"Yes sir, but-"

"_NO BUTS ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW THAT YOU'RE NOT-_"

Foaly elbowed him and pointed to the largest of the many screens in the room, effectively interrupting his tirade. "Look Julius, it's not going to France after all…"

"I don't care, centaur, I have an insubordinate captain here -"

"It's going back up the river… While we track it, should Holly go and check up on the scene of the crime."

"Er, right… _SHORT!_"

"Sir?"

"Go back to where it all started."

"Yes, sir."

xXx

Ron and Hermione sat dejectedly in the empty common room of the Leaky Cauldron, waiting. Above them, the poster on the wall reading, "Welcome Back Harry!" hung limply, listing slightly to one side, Ron's bad Spellotape job beginning to show itself.

"It's no good, Hermione," he told her gloomily. "The Muggles probably had a change of plans -- he's not coming today."

"You can't say _that_…" she reminded him, although, she, too, was having the same doubts. "Well - all right… Let's clean up this mess…" she said finally, motioning vaguely at the large cake and party hats that had been placed on the table.

**_WHUMPH!_**

"That would be your poster, Ron," she added, pointing towards the fallen object.

Ron grunted, and stooped over to pick it up.

"I wonder where he is, anyway," Hermione mused, gathering up the hats. "This really isn't like him…"

"Oh, I dunno… maybe he got lost, or maybe the Muggles wouldn't let him come… Or maybe their train was late - Wait! That can't be right! He wrote us right after he arrived! What does the letter say again…" He fished a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket and began to read. "Uh… _The Durseleys have decided that they want to do some sight-seeing while in London. I think they mentioned the Eye…_ Hermione, what's the Eye?"

"It's a ferris wheel, Ron…" she replied long-sufferingly.

"What's a -"

"Ferris wheel? You get into a little compartment and go up and down in the air."

"That doesn't sound very exciting. Isn't that what they have airplanes for?"

"It's not the same, Ron."

"Well - ok… But - get this! Maybe their compartment got disconnected from the ferris thingy and-"

"Ron, that's really not funny…"

xXx

**  
Lol, no cliffie this time…**

**Review!**

**PS:I'm having some trouble making lines... is this something new they've done now? They have something against asterisks - they all went away when I tried to upload, and now I'm stuck with these pathetic little xXx thingies... It looks so bad, and it's really confusing... Help, anyone?**


	4. The Cult

**Wow. I have not posted in over two months I am sure. Most of that is my fault, but I would like to shift some of the blame on certain Christmas presents coughTHESIMScough. Thanks so much to my lovely reveiwers for being so patient - that is, if you still remember I exist. So much for that.**

**And so, I proudly present: drumroll**

**Unusual Alliances**

**Chapter 4: The Cult**

* * *

"Foaly, is there some kind of festival going on?"

The click of the keys, and then, "Nope. Nothing happening. Why?"

"Hm? Nothing… just some weird mudmen dressed up in robes.

"A cult?"

"Maybe. But they're harrasing the suspect's family. Permission for reconaissance?"

"That's much better, Short," Commander Root informed her. "Permission granted. By the way," he cleared his throat, "I've sent you some backup. They should arrive in a few hours."

"I thought it wasn't that serious, Julius," Foaly sniggered.

"Commander Root to-"

Holly turned down the volume on her headset. She couldn't hear what the odd Mudmen were saying while the two were having a go at it.

"I don't know where he is!" the petite blond woman was saying, trying to escape from her captor, a wild-looking, scraggly-haired man dressed in something that looked like a ratty black nightgown. Holly wondered that the Mudmen police hadn't picked him up already.

"You _know_ where he is…" he gritted, shaking her by the arm, "You know-"

"Alastor! That's enough!" An old man in blue robes with long, silvery hair and beard stepped out of nowhere. He put his hand on Moody's arm and gently pushed him away from the frightened woman. Instinctively, Holly fest she could trust this man.

"Mrs. Dursely, can you tell me what happened to Harry?"

"I don't know," she sobbed. "I don't know! It was all of a sudden - there was this loud band and then we were all falling into the bloody Thames River. And then _you_-" she spat the word out like a curse - "came along, and did something to my husband and son so _he_," she pointed a shaking finger toward Moody, "could have me all to himself!"

Holly felt her gaze drawn to the still unmoving figures of Mr. Dursely and his son, and almost gasped in shock. They seemed frozen in time; the man's hand was held in front of himself as if to ward off some great evil. Both faces were grostequely carved into an almost comical expression of horror. For a split-second, Jolly wondered if she should intervene, to somehow help this woman…

"Release them, Alastor," the silver haired man commanded, staring down through his half-moon spectacles at the other man disapprovingly.

Alastor shrugged. "I was just trying to shut them up," he explained in a gravelly voice. He drew something long and narrow from his pocket with the appearance of a polished stick.

"_Mobilarius_…" he muttered, and suddenly the son was wrapped up in his mother's arms, weeping, and the large Mudman was standing in front of them, obviously trying to be intimidating, although he seemed to come across as frightened.

"W-what do you want with us?" he stammered.

"All we need to know is what happened to Harry."

"Him? I don't know, I wasn't watching, my _son_ was _drowning_, what was I supposed to do, babysit his worthless cousin?"

"He is _not_ bloody worthless!" Alastor roared. "The worthless one is you, Durseley." He brandished his stick threateningly, and the portly man cowered back. "If I hear-"

"Moody, that is _enough_!" All eyes turned back toward the silver-haired sage. "If you exhibit any further behavior or this kind, I will feel oblidged to expel you from the Order! Great Auror or not! Understand?"

Moody fell silent under the force of his anger.

"Remus," he continued, turning to address a smaller, worn-looking man, "I want you to escort these people to St. Mungo's - they have obviously suffered a great shock. Make sure they receive _proper treatment_. The rest of you, get word out to as many of us as you can - we're meeting at headquarters in half in hour. Please do not discuss the purpose of the meeting, I want no unnecessary panic. Ah, yes… Remus… Hand me your ht, will you?" He drew yet another polished stick out of his sleeve, and waved it over the object, muttering something under his breath. "Ready?" he asked Remus.

He nodded, and put his hand on Mr. Dursely (who flinched upon initial contact), and received his wide-brimmed, conical hat with the other.

And suddenly, all four of them were gone. Holly blinked. _How… did… they do that?_ she wondered. Was it possible that-

"Better hope no one saw that, Albus," Alastor muttered. His eyes - one of them a vivid, electric blue, Holly now noticed - scanned the area, and the elf had barely enough time to dive behind the nearest building before his eye - which seemed to operate seperately from its mate - came to rest at the spot where Holly had just been.

The fairie crouched behind the old warehouse, wondering at her sudden instinct. What had made her think that he could see through her shield? No mere human had ever done so, with the exception of Artemis Fowl himself. Somehow, she sensed that these people could not be quite human.

"Albus, I don't like it," she heard Alastor growl. "We're being watched."

Holly could almost _feel_ the gaze of the grizzled old man. Suddenly afraid, she shrunk back against the cold corroborated aluminum wall.

"You're right…" Albus' voice, although soft, sounded confused, odd for a man of such self-assurance. "Let's leave - Rubeus!" There was the swishing sound of a whispered conference, and then a soft _pop_.

Holly counted to thirty before venturing from her hiding place. They were all gone - disappeared in the same manner, she would bet, as Remus and the Durseleys. She went aloft, searching the area with eyes and ears, hoping against hope for at least a clue of their whereabouts…

There! The giant man - she wasn't sure of his name - was lumbering down an empty alleyway.

_"Holly?"_

* * *

**I could have gone farther with this. But then, I realized that it was going to be way too long. For my attention span, anyways… :)**

**The next couple chappies are already written - they should be out _fairly_ soon. Stick around!**

**-Emmi**


	5. The Mystery

**So. You're probably wondering why this chapter doesn't look the way it used to.**

**The answer is simple - I screwed up. I left this little part out, which turns out to be quite important. The transition between this chappie and the next one did seem a little odd, didn't it?**

**Ah well, here's a shortie for ya.**

**xXx**

**Chapter Five: The Mystery**

"Commander, they disappeared - they just _disappeared_! I swear, it had to be magic, or something… And there was one with a funny blue eye who could see right through _shields_. Shields, just like Fowl! And he did something to those people so they couldn't…"

"_Holly_?" For the first time she could remember, Root sounded genuinely concerned. "Look, Holly, this is completely beyond any of us. Sit tight, lay low, and wait for Trouble. They'll arrive within the hour. Holly?"

"Commander, I can't. I have to follow him." Her voice was still shaky, but gathered strength with every word.

"I thought you said they had all disappeared…"

"Not this one. I don't think he has the magic. I have to follow him - he's going somewhere - it's the only way we can find something out about these people."

"You do that, then," he said, wondering at a sight so strange that it would send a seasoned Recon officer babbling. "Look, I'm going to leave you with Foaly - I'm coming up myself." There was the sound of static as Root left the speaker system.

"Holly?"

"Foaly, I'm fine, really I am. Just a little shaken."

The centaur snorted. "That would be the understatement of the year."

"But," said Holly after a short silence, "I wonder, really, what is the connection?"

"The connection between these people and Fowl? You know it wasn't a coincidnce that it was only him and the other boy that were taken. The's some purpose behind this - and we can't even _begin_ to guess what it is."

"It really bothers you, huh," asked Holly, laughing weakly.

"You have _no_ idea…"


	6. Discovery

**For you people who were searching for an update -well, I made one, it just isn't here.**

**The truth is, I screwed up. I left out a scene. So chapter 5 is the update, and this chapter, which was once chapter 5, is now chapter six. But you wanted an update, right? Lol.**

**Big hug to all my reviewers!**

**xXx**

**Chapter 6: Discovery**

"Hagrid!" Hermione screeched as the giant man entered the Leaky Cauldron. "I haven't seen you in forever - how are you?"

"Fine, Hermione…" he responded gloomily. "Hello to you, Ron. Where are your parents?"

"Dunno. They left, and didn't tell us where they were going. They don't tell us _anything_ anymore…"

"Hagrid, are you all right?" Hermione asked worriedly, noting Hagrid's unhappy demeanor. "Have some cake, sit down…"

"Ah, that would be for Harry's comin'-back party, wouldn't it? Er… well, I'm not really feeling good, if y'know what I mean…"

"Hagrid… nothing's wrong, is it?"

'No, everything's fine. Just perfect. Now leave me alone, you two, or I'll end up tellin' you somethin' I'm not supposed to..."

"Hagrid - what happened to Harry?"

"Nothin', absolutely nothin'… He's with the Durseley's still, they just got a little delayed…"

"_HAGRID!_" Mrs. Weasely burst through the door. "Hagrid, is it true?"

"Yes, we we're too late, we couldn't…"

"Why don't we go into the other room," she suggested firmly, looking pointedly at Hermione and Ron.

"They don't tell us _anything_," Ron complained, once the door had firmly shut behind them. "Do they think we're children or something? This is ridiculous - I'm going to listen in."

"It's no good Ron…" Hermione said heavily. "Your mum put a silencing spell on the door."

Ron cursed. "She _would_, wouldn't she?"

"Ron, look - there's nothing we can do right now -"

"Unless we break down the door -"

"You know that won't work. But you know who might actually know -"

"Fred and George?"

"What are you saying about us?"

Ron and Hermione started visibly as the twins appeared from behind the bar.

"So startled to see us little bro?" asked George, grinning at at the two of them.

"Old Tom lets us come in the backway from time to time," Fred explained, winking. "The rest of the time, we let ourselves in."

"Well…" said Hermione, appearing to at last gathered her wits, "It turns out you have perfect timing, we were just going to ask you if you knew what was going on."

"Like what?"

"Like, I don't know Fred, Harry getting kidnapped?" Ron spat angrily. "Unless there's something more important going on in your lives."

"Wow…" said George looking gravely impressed. "That is rather important."

"I'm sorry Ron," said Fred, and he really looked it, "We had no idea. So how did you find out?"

"Hagrid. He's talking with Mum in the other room."

"You mean you can't get a simple secret out of _Hagrid_? Come on Ron, I thought you were smarter that that."

"Shut up, George," Ron said, reddening.

"Love to tease you," he said loftily, "but you've perked our interest. We'll -" Suddenly he nudged his twin in the rib and pointed.

"_STUPIFY!_"

All eyes turned to Captain Holly Short, lying motionless on the floor.

"Looks like some crazy gnome was trying to steal your broom, Ron…

**xXx**

From the moment Harry came to, he knew that he was in grave danger. His hands had been tied together behind his back, and something especially vile-tasting had been stuffed into his mouth. His wand was no longer in his pocket. All around him, he could hear low voices.

"How much longer?"

"Not much. Ten minutes, maybe."

"I don't see why we had t'double back," the same voice whined.

"That's 'cause you're stupid," the other explained. "It was a decoy - to make them think we were going somewhere else - like France."

"Why would anyone wanna go there?"

"Shut up. That's not the point."

"Then what _is_ the point?"

"Just shut up."

There was silence on the boat. Not quite daring to, Harry slowly opened his eyes -

and was greeted with the eerie, glowing murk of the Thames River. Realizing that he must be in some kind of submarine, Harry searched the area, trying to learn something of his captors, opportunities for escape, and, most importantly, his wand. It was the latter that he found first. It was lying on a swivel chair next to a small metal desk.

Seriously doubting the intellegence of his kidnappers, and ascertaining that his only company was the dark shape lying near to him -bound and gagged as he was, Harry stared hard at his most prized possesion, willing it to come to him.

"Wilkes! It's lookin' like we're almost there!"

"Yeah…" said a voice near -too near- Harry, who immediately shut his eyes, feigning unconsciousness, "Only a minute or so now…"

Harry knew he had very little time. Wherever they were going, he knew there would not be another opportunity like this one. Summoning all his willpower, he urged his wand to come to him.

It surged into the air, and with a slight _whoosh_, buried itself in the polyester carpet near his hand. Harry immediately grabbed onto it. _Incendio_, he muttered, and allowed himself a slight smile as the magical fire licked its way through his bonds. He was wondering if he should help his fellow captive, when -

"All right, boys, were pulling up! Wilkes and Georges, go get the prisoners - I want the rest of you to help me."

Harry quickly stuffed his wand into his pocket, then closed his eyes with grim satisfaction, knowing that escape was yet a possibility. The important part of his work was done.

**Will Harry ever escape?**

**How about Artemis?**

**Read on to find out!**

**While you're at it, you could also press the pretty blue button down there and write me a review. Just a suggestion, y'know… :)**


	7. Something in Common

**A/N: Woot! For all you peeps who were angry at me because my chapter was too short, you're going to hate this. But never fear; the next chapter – well, the next THREE, actually – will be long. It just worked out this way better.**

**To my reviewers:**

**Demon of Shadow Ar, writ me other chapter, are ye 'appy now? Tell ye what, mate, me quill's been busy enough, got me next 2-3 chapters finished already – just ain't typed, if yer know my meanin'.**

**LaBOBuren Wasn't trying to be funny. I _did_ write that nice little memo at the top of the screen for a reason, y'know. Ah well, this one be new.**

**Sgarecool321 -virtually hi five- Crossovers!**

**Elf771 Hooray for elves! -blushes- Thanks for the compliment…**

**Myrhfire Read your review at KGTS, and I couldn't agree more. For the first chapter, that is. It does improve. But you aren't exactly the first flame I've got on that one. :)**

**Chapter 7: Something in Common**

xXx

_Oh, d'arvit…_ Holly thought, then realized no words could completely describe her self-disgust. For all her pains, she had somehow managed to get discovered.

Before her was ranged a group of -well, kids- she realized. Instead of the odd robes, they were dressed in normal Mudman clothes, but she guessed that they were of the same species.

_Talk_, she thought, _use the mesmer, something…_ But then, she realized that her mouth wouldn't move - for that matter, neither could the rest of her body.

What had they done to her? Holly racked her brain for answers, for some escape from this dilemma, but none came. Even if she was somehow able to contact Foaly, there was no way he could help her. It seemed that she would be forced to sit tight and wait.

"…Not a gnome, too smart for a house elf…"

"_Ron!_ House elves are not stupid! That's just a stereotype created by you people who are too shallow to really appreciate them!"

_What the _hell_ is this about…?_

"All right, Hermione - not _ugly_ enough to be a house elf…"

"Ron!-"

"We're going to leave you alone with it," one of the older ones interrupted - a twin, Holly noticed. "We of the Order have better things to do than interrogate house elves…"

_What on earth is a house elf…?_

Together he and his twin exited the room, and the two teenagers glared after them. Holly wondered what they had done to insult them.

"You know," the girl (Hermione, Holly remembered) said at last, "this is all very nice, but we're not exactly learning anything. I'm going to lift the charm."

"Hermione - no! What if it escapes!"?

"Do you think I'm _stupid_? Hermione then muttered something, and Holly felt something twine around her wrists, binding them together. "_Depedimenta_…" she said, and with a sudden tingling feeling, Holly felt the movement return to her body.

"What was _that_ all about?" the fairy demanded. _Come on Foaly… answer me…_

"You tried to steal my broom," Ron said simply.

"So? It's a broom." _What's wrong with him?_

"Exactly."

"So… it probably cost you a couple dollars at the local grocery. You could do without it." At this point, she was just stalling for time. _Where is he?_

The redheaded boy stared at her. "Where've you been the last few centuries," he asked as if he couldn't believe his ears, "underground?"

"What do you think, Mudman?" _What am I arguing with him for?_

"Don't you mean Muggle?" he asked quizzically.

"No, human, I didn't mean a Mugwug-thingy. I meant Mudman. You." _Oh no._ _This is _bad_. He should be able to hear me._

"W-what? Just what the bloody hell _are_ you?"

"It's really none of your business, if you're too stupid to figure out. _Mudman_."

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

Unless Foaly had suddenly gone deaf, he would certainly have heard. And then Holly realized it. There was no reverberation in the mike when she spoke. Somehow, she had lost her connection.

"Ron… please! Control your temper!" exclaimed Hermione, putting a hand on his arm in an attempt to quiet him, and glancing frantically toward the closed door down the hall.

"No, Hermione, _don't you understand_? They've taken Harry! He's in danger - real danger this time and _no one even knows where he is_."

"Harry?" asked Holly curiously.

"Yes, Harry," snapped Ron. "You know - tall, messy black hair, green eyes, glasses, and a lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Seen him around lately?"

Holly started visibly.

"You… you - tell us everything you know," Hermione commanded, voice shaking.

xXx

**R&R all!**


	8. Brooms and the Other Boy

**A/N: And the authoress returns with yet another exciting chapter… And this time with no excuse. Of course, this chappie's been written for the last two months or so, I just haven't yet bothered to transpose it to the computer. If you really feel the urge to kill me, you can, but remember – then you won't learn what happens next!**

**Critizizors (1&2): I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Sorry, I didn't exactly update soon. Anyway… Tell me, who is Critizizor #2?**

**Sgarecool: Uh… :)**

**Elf 771: I always thought it was _melon_. Or is it _mellin_? On that subject, I have a friend whose brother's name is Mellin – yeah, like the one in LOTR. They just call him Jim, though.**

**Laboburen: -dances along- (Why oh why don't they let us use asterisks? Argh!)**

**LottiRebel: Again… -uh…- :)**

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**xXx**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Brooms and the "Other Boy"**

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**xXx**

* * *

"And you are absolutely sure of all of this?" Hermione asked. 

"Absolutely. I saw it with my own eyes." She stared at the two teenagers, then shook her head. "I still need a broom," she said.

"You'll need three," Hermione said firmly. "We're coming too." She glared at the elf belligerently.

Holly realized the she could not argue, neither should she. The two wizards would be a valuable asset in something like this. "So, then where do you plan to get them?"

"Uhm…"

"Hey, Hermione, it's Malfoy…" He pointed at a blonde teen in dark robes, grouped by two thug-like companions. But what really caught Holly's eye were the objects held in their hands.

"You know," Hermione breathed, "we could have something here." She turned to the others. "This is what we have to do…"

* * *

**xXx**

* * *

Malfoy was having a good day. He had already one a couple bets, killed a few hapless rodents, and bought a brand new broom – three actually, for Crabbe and Goyle had gotten one too. There were certain advantages to being rich. 

He was strolling around the back of the Leaky Cauldron, about to strike up a conversation, or about as much as a conversation as was possible with the two idiots that he called his friends (probably to start a new round of praise for the shiny new Firebolt 2000's) when he discovered a far better form of entertainment.

"Weasely! What are you doing, counting pennies?"

"You leave him alone!" Granger shouted, coming around in front of him defensively. "You don't always have to be so mean to him!"

"Imagine having to be defended by a girl, and a Mudblood at that. I would be embarrassed if I were you. Is Ronnie scared?" he mocked. "Is Ronnie going to… _cry_?"

"You shut up!" said Ron, who really did look like he was going to cry.

Malfoy just smirked. "What if I told you I was going to kick your miserable little ass?" he asked.

"Magic's not allowed during vacation. You know that, Malfoy."

"_Magic's not allowed during vacation_," Malfoy mimicked in a high-pitched voice. "But I don't need magic to get you. I would run now, Weasely, Granger, while you can."

They stood there and stared at him for a few seconds, Weasely's lip trembling ever so slightly, and turned on their heels, and _sprinted_.

Malfoy laughed, dropped his broom and ran after them, urging Crabbe and Goyle to follow his example. Together, they chased them around the corner, and down to the busy London street, when –

"Where the hell did they go?"

Crabbe and Goyle both gave him perfectly blank looks.

"Oh c'mon, you fools, certainly you saw something…"

"Er…" they said in unison.

"I didn't see nothing," Crabbe said.

Goyle shook his head in agreement.

Malfoy spat into the dirt angrily. "This is all your fault," he yelled. "Idiots." He grabbed them both by the hair, and rammed their heads together.

"Oy. Whatchoo do that for?" Goyle asked, obviously too thick skulled to be damaged by something as harmless of high impact to his head. Or maybe he had lost all his brain cells already to former such treatments, so it didn't matter anyway. Of course, there's always the possibility that he was born dumb.

"Because you're stupid," Malfoy replied to his question. "Now, let's go back to the brooms, before some daft Muggle tries to steal them."

* * *

**xXx**

* * *

They were carrying him somewhere. Artemis couldn't be sure where yet, as his face was currently buried in one of the thug's rather beefy shoulders. He tried moving his head back and forth, but couldn't see past the enormous mass of the large man's body. 

_"STUPEFY!"_

Something large and heavy fell on Artemis, and he kicked and struggled to get free. Finding himself standing without restraint, he seized his chance, and ran

"Get him!" someone roared above the shouting. Artemis willed his legs to move faster, but, truth was, he was not runner. It was made all the more difficult by his hands which were tied behind his back.

He felt a heavy weight descend on his shoulder, and his body collapsed underneath the force of impact.

"Got this one!" his captor yelled.

As he was blindfolded and rebound, one thing had made itself very apparent to Artemis…

The other boy, Harry, had escaped.

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**xXx**

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**Review, all! **

**Er… tell me, was that short? It wasn't supposed to be…**


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